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Published: October 18th 2012
I can't believe that I have now been away for almost four weeks. Whilst I miss home, family and friends and have found myself longing for the cool cleaAdair of Aberdeenshire more than once time is flying by and I will be sad to leave my new African friends when the time comes.
On the Friday of my second week I spent a day with Johns Zkosi,ones of the CHurch Elders, visiting Mvungoti ward to see the brickmaking and community gardenworkfolk another Elder, Levson.
The red dirt road from M'Buka to Mvungoti was teaming with life as we made our way to meet with Levson and our journey included passing through a really busy market. After parking up in what seemelike the only available shade a young girl guided us to where Levson was working.
As we made our way on the dirt tracks between small mud brick built grass ( well maize or sugar been stalk) thatchedfamilies with families at chores washing clothes or pots, strip washing small children in large tubs or preparing food ( the staple Nima) for lunch later it seemed a long way from the homes of the families that I was staying with let alone from Scotland.
We met Levson at his area where he made bricks. He is currently making bricks for a new Prayer House for the area and carries out all of the work within a few square metres of land. He has a well dug for water, uses the mud from the ground to make sets of four bricks at a time in a hand mould which are then laid out to dry before being added to his brick stack. Once his stack of 10,000 bricks is complete he seals them in clay made from any broken bricks and will light fires in channelson the lower level before fully sealing them to allow the bricks to be properly baked.
These stacks of bricks can be seen everywhere you go in Lilongwe as so much building is going on with housesm uses, schools, Prayer Houses etc. Whulst there is meant to be form form of planning in reality it rarely seems to exist or be upheld in the tribal areas where land for building can be bought from the tribal Chief.
Whilst Levson bounded about his site explaining everything in Chichewa and Johns interpreted, there really was not a huge need, as Levsons animation and expressiveness made it all clear.
We then moved onto his community garden where he grew maize, sugar beet, tomatoes, mustard seed and pumpkin leaves.Maize is the absolute essential and staple crop and foodstuff of Malawi with every part of it bein used. Johns advises the community gardeners on better land use time there was lengthy debate about improving land use and yield through better crop ordering, rotation and potential future ideas for irrigation.
Towards the end of the morning morning Levson told me that he had left the land lying idle until Vasco had come and spoke to him about the importance of taking his faith beyond spirituality and using what he had for improving himself and the community.
I saw Levson on both the Saturday and Sunday at the Church. On the Saturday he was assisting at a wedding (there were 5 that morning with the first one held at 6.00 am) He was scurrying around energetically organising car parking etc.One the Sunday he was a key helper in the practical arrangements for the Decommissioning of Vasco and again was going full pelt ensuring things were in order and seeing the what needed doing. I will remember Levson long after I have left Malawi - man ofgreats work and faith.
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maureen strachan
non-member comment
just to say hi
What a great time you are having and well done for venturing out of your comfort zone. I have just realised i can write back to you, DUH!! I hear you were unwell I hope this finds you much better and back in the swing of things. Really looking forward to hearing all your tales. much love maureen